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JEWISH WELFARE BOARD 

OCTOBER 1, 1918 



The Jewish Welfare Board — Purpose and Program 



INTRODUCTION. 



The Jewish Welfare Board represents American Jewry united for the purpose of contributing to 
the upbuilding and preservation of the morale of the American fighting forces. Joining forces with 
the Y. M. C. A., the K. of C. the Red Cross and other organizations having the same aim and en- 
joying the same standing in the U. S. Army and Navy as these organizations, it seeks, first, to minister 
to the needs of all enlisted men, and, second, to make adequate provision for the special needs of the 
Jewish soldiers and sailors. Not only has this Board the official recognition of the United States 
Government, but it is representative of the whole body of the Jews in this country, who, through 
their leading organizations, constituted this Board their organ for service among the men in the United 
States Army and Navy. 

At the moment of national crisis thr-r P W as no Jewish organization fitt< c-rt its em 

try aims and acti\ iti< 



Since its i-K-eption in the summer of 1917, the Je\ fare Boai the -.iagnitudc 

oi its task:, and conscious of the profound significance of the obligations entrusted to it, has sought 
to mobilize the enthusiasm and patriotism of the Jews of this country, and to muster the material 
resources and forces of American Jewry to the effective consummation of its task. 

It is too early in the history of this Board to make substantial appraisal of what it has thus far 
accomplished. Whatever has been achieved by this Board seems slight in comparison with what has 
yet to be wrought. The Jewish Welfare Board was compelled to chart its own course on an unknown 
sea ; it had no experience of its own to draw upon ; the experience of other Jewish organizations in this 
field was infinitesimal. 

It is a matter of pride to the Board that, organized primarily to help our Government make good 
soldiers and sailors, it has also been successful in organizing the patriotic cooperation of civilians. 
The influence of this Board is going into every Jewish home. Representing the Jews of this country in 
welfare service among the American fighting forces, the Jewish Welfare Board reflects back and 
makes meaningful to its constituency the fuller implications of Americanism in action. Thousands of 
volunteers working under the auspices of the Jewish Welfare Board throughout the communities of 
the United States, and the families of the Jewish soldiers whom this Board specifically serves, are 
drawing inspiration from their tasks of patriotism. 



Camp Personnel. 

The concrete work of providing for the comfort and religions welfare of the enlisted men is 
carried on by the Jewish Welfare Board through its representatives in the Camps and Naval Sta- 
tions and through its Branches in the communities throughout the country. 

The J. W. B. representatives in the Camps and Naval Stations work in the closest cooperation 
with the representatives of all the other welfare organizations. Their activities do not parallel or dupli- 
cate in any particular those of the other agencies, but they are rather coordinate with them along the 
general lines of social, educational and recreational functions. They fulfil a distinctive and particular 
duty not available to the other organizations in caring for the religious and personal needs of the Jew- 
ish men. Wherever this Board can assist the Y. M. C. A. or K. of C. to make a proposed activity suc- 
cessful, it has become an axiom that this assistance should be automatically forthcoming, and wherever 
the facilities of these agencies are needed and available for any activity which the J. W. B. desires to 
engage in, the cooperation of these bodies is extended with promptness and cheerfulness. 

The J. W. B. has at the present time in all 213 field representatives, covering about 200 army 
camps and posts and naval stations. In addition to these 213 representatives, there are 50 visiting 
rabbis who reside in communities contiguous to the camps, and who officiate regularly at religious 
services and who assist generally in the supervision and development of the religious work 

The field representatives have be from hu . « 

■ i ■ ■ ■ 

canism, are requisites for consideration by ''oard for 

Board maintaii g jl rvhere the prospective field representatives are given 

a four weeks' intensive course in the fundamentals of Judaism, Military Life and Regulations, Cur- 
rent National Problems, and other subjects pertaining to the work which they are to undertake. The 
courses are conducted by men of experience and substantial reputation in their special fields. Com- 
missioned officers in the Army and Navy lecture on military topics ; prominent rabbis give the students 
an interpretation of the present crisis in the light of Judaism and indicate how this view point coin- 
cides harmoniously with true Americanism. 

Before the men are sent to their respective posts they are given preliminary field training at 
camp, where, under the direction of experienced representatives, they are brought into actual contact 
with camp life and its incidental problems for the uniformed men. 

The J. W. B. recognizes that it has not yet provided sufficient workers for all the camps and sta- 
tions of the country, and accordingly it is now putting forth its best endeavors to secure the requisite 
number by conducting a national campaign for 400 additional field representatives. Whereas in the 
past it has graduated an average of 25 men per month from the training school, the present plan 
contemplates at least doubling that number for the ensuing months, until the needs are met. To accom- 
modate this increased number, it is planned to enlarge the accommodations of the school so as not to 
lower the standards of thorough preparation which are so essential to effective service by the repre- 
sentatives in the camps. 



-3— 



CAMP ACTIVITIES. 

The activities conducted by the Jewish Welfare Board in the camps, through its representatives, 
may be divided into the following classes of service : 

1. Religious. 

2. Personal Service. 

3. Educational. 

4. Social and Recreational. 

In each of the larger camps from three to ten workers have been assigned, and in these camps 
it has been possible to develop specialists in each of these branches of service. 

1. Religious Work. 

The religious activity is guided by the principle of conserving each shade of religious belief rep- 
resented among the Jewish men in the camp population. As a result, in the majority of the camps both 
orthodox and reform services are held. 

The religious program for eacl includes the following: 

b. Friday evening servi* 

c. Sabbath services and Sunday services whenever possible. 

d. Services in the hospital. 

e. Services in the guard-house. 

Special holyday services are also conducted in camp, and arrangements are usually made in 
cooperation with the neighboring community wherever possible for home hospitality and for such secu- 
lar celebration in camp or in the community as is permitted under the traditional law governing the 
observances of the particular days. 

In addition to the fulfilment of religious observance, the spiritual needs of the men are filled 
through Biblical discussions and through informal meetings held after services, at which the text of 
the sermon is discussed under the leadership of the minister. 

PERSONAL SERVICE. 

Personal service is a distinctive and specialized feature of the Jewish Welfare Board's camp 
program. The transition from civil to military life brings in its wake the problems of adjustment which 
must be adequately met by the field representatives if the morale of the soldier is not to be impaired. 






-4— 



The field representatives render service of the highest order in facilitating this adjustment of 
the men to their military life. Soldiers and sailors coming from civil pursuits in many instances 
find it difficult to accommodate themselves to the conditions of military life. Doubt, worry, dissatis- 
faction, lonesomeness, and a general lowering of the physical, mental and spiritual tone of the men 
are symptoms of this maladjustment. This mental distress must be eliminated if the man is to de- 
velop into a fit soldier. The personal and intimate ministrations of the field representatives which are 
directed towards elevating and inspiring the soldiers are instrumental in effecting that morale which 
constitutes one of the most important assets of a fighting force. 

Many men entering the army do so with apprehension for the welfare of their families during 
their absence. The J. W. B. representatives endeayor to establish and maintain contact between the 
family of the man and the soldier himself in camp ; and through their attention to matters of a per- 
sonal nature they are able to relieve the soldier of any misgivings he might entertain regarding his 
family or his personal affairs. 

There are in addition many legal matters which require the attention of the field representatives, 
such as the making of wills, receiving the custody of funds, negotiating transfers of property for the 
soldiers, completing naturalization papers, so as to entitle the man and his family to the benefits of 
citizenship, arranging to have the enlisted man make allotments to his family, and take insurance for 
himself, and matters of like nature. 

en who are confined to the hospital and giia 
use. A chat at ttu of a sick soldier, the writing of his letters, transmitting m For 

nun. icaunig a icw Lndpicii ui an interesting book, are an activities which axe undertaken freeiy. 
The Jewish Welfare Board's field workers keep in contact with the men who are in the guard-house 
and minister to their needs in every manner consistent with the military regulations. 

Thev also interpret sympatheticallv to the confined soldier the laws of the camp, their purposes, 
and the relation of the soldiers' transgressions to the welfare and efficiency of his fellow soldiers. 
Thus they allay feelings of discontent which arise through a misunderstanding of the purposes of 
punishment and they prevent further breaches of military discipline. 



EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES, 
a. Class Work. 

Educational activities conducted by the Jewish Welfare Board representatives furnish a fruit- 
ful field of service. In addition to cooperating with other agencies, through furnishing them with 
teachers and lecturers, the Jewish Welfare Board is called upon to organize and direct classes in Eng- 
lish to foreigners. It has not attempted, however, to extend its class activities independently, as this 
work is best done in cooperation with the Y. M. C. A. The J. W. B. has also conducted classes 
in Jewish History and Hebrew. 



-5— 



b. Culture Groups. 

The field representatives organize groups for the discussion of subjects of Jewish cultural inter- 
est, at which the men may give expression to their intellectual interests. In addition, literary meetings, 
■current event groups, and open forums for the discussion of topics of current importance are held. 

c. Lectures. 

In order to bring to the men messages of encouragement, hope and good cheer from the com- 
munities of the country, the J. W. B. arranged tours of the camps and naval stations for lecturers to 
meet the men and speak to them in groups and individually. During the months of July and August, 
122 lectures were delivered to the men by 16 lay and Rabbinic leaders of the Jewish community of 
America. The subjects dealt with were in every instance of a serious nature, and in every case were 
attended by large numbers of both Jews and non-Jews. The enthusiastic reception accorded by the 
soldiers to these lecturers controverts the belief that is generally held that uniformed men are inter- 
ested mainly in light entertainment. 



SOCIAL AND RECREATIONAL ACTIVITIES. 

The social and recreational activities which are conducted by field representatives of the ' 
PorThe enter id by the other or furnish 

entertainers and accommodations for the affairs of the J. W. B. It deavors to introduce into 

camp such recreational features as will constitute a distinct contribution to the entire recreational and 
social program of the camp. The J. W. B. representative also cooperates with the J. W. B. branch in 
the adjacent community in planning dances, home hospitality, automobile rides, smokers and socia- 
bles, concerts, lectures and such other affairs as are desired by the men and which will tend to promote 
their happiness and well being when they are in the city away from the camp. 

SUPPLIES FOR SOLDIERS. 

During the past half year the Jewish Welfare Board distributed 80,000 Prayer Books, 40.000 
Bibles, over 4,000.000 letter-heads and 2,000,000 envelopes of soldiers' stationery. 4,000 Bibles, 5,000 
Prayer Books, 200.000 letter-heads and 100,000 envelopes are being forwarded weekly to the camps, 
and these amounts are increasing from week to week. There have recently been established in the 
camps standard libraries of books in English. Yiddish and Hebrew. 

The Board has supplied 4,647 publications through the American Library Association, and 
this reading material has been placed at the disposal of the men in all the camps throughout the coun- 
try. In addition, there have been distributed 40,000 Yiddish translations of pamphlets on the laws 
of Government allotment. Compensation and Insurance, and 40.000 copies of a pamphlet in Yiddish 



— 6- 



on Sex Hygiene. Religious articles of various kinds, including Prayer Books and Bibles in the origi- 
nal Hebrew, also religious accessories, such as the Tallith, Tefillin, Mezuzza, etc., are supplied to the 
Jewish men in uniform. 

Refreshments, smokes, candy, toilet articles, knitted goods, indoor games, musical instruments, 
and athletic materials are furnished by the Community Branches of the Welfare Board and distributed 
among the uniformed men by the field representatives or through the American Red Cross. 

PHYSICAL EQUIPMENT. 

The Jewish Welfare Board furnishes one automobile and one typewriter for each of the camps 
at which its representatives are stationed, and all facilities necessary for the personal accommodation 
of the workers and the administration of the work itself. 



BUILDINGS. 

In every camp in which a welfare organization, through its representatives, is striving to serve 
enlisted men, it is desirable, and usually essential, that there should be trai : 

hich all the acti ate and about which the person.: .he 

orgai izal 3] niter 

The Jewish Welfare Board feels its responsibility to contribute i 

provide buildings w nere tnis good-fellowship can freely express 
itself. J. W. B. buildings are not separate structures for the Jewish boys in the particular camps; 
they a 'e additions to the number of centers in the camps, augmenting the existing building facilities 
in the camp that are available to all the enlisted men. Accordingly, the J. W. B. has secured the neces- 
sary permission to erect and has authorized the erection of 50 buildings. Eighteen structures are already 
complete in 18 camps and 22 buildings are now under construction, and bids have been asked for the 
erection of the others. It is estimated, at the present time, that at least 60 additional buildings will 
be needed beyond the number originally authorized. As more camps are established and more men 
called to the existing posts, a continual increase of buildings is inevitable. 



COMMUNITY WORK. 

In its endeavor to minister to the need of the soldiers and sailors wherever they may be, the Jew- 
ish Welfare Board recognized from the beginning the desirability of organizing local branches in the 
communities throughout the country. These branches undertake to serve the men when they are in 
town. The soldier or sailor on leave in a city is a proper individual for the concern of the com- 
munity in whose midst he is sojourning, and the program of entertainment and hospitality which the 
local community formulates is effective in weaning the enlisted men away from unwholesome influences 



which might beset him during his stay in the town. Just as J. W. B. representatives in the camp co- 
perate with the Y. M. C. A. and K. of C. and other organizations, branches in the towns work in 
close cooperation with the War Camp Community Service, under whose direction and supervision 
their activities are conducted. 

There are at the present time 160 branches of the Jewish Welfare Board in as many com- 
munities. About one hundred of these organizations are in towns near camps or naval stations and 
are active in serving the soldiers and sailors stationed adjacent to them. They conduct religious serv- 
ices for the men in the temples and synagogues ; arrange dances, musicales, minstrel shows, smokers, 
lawn parties and automobile rides for the soldiers. Through the efforts of the branches the soldiers 
are invited to enjoy the home hospitality of private families. The branches also arrange accommoda- 
tions for the relatives and friends who come from a distance to visit the men. In addition, there are 
50 non-camp branches which represent as many communities organized as the patriotic expression of 
the Jewish people of those localities to make tangible their interest and support to the local boys who are 
with the colors. Branches are being continually organized in other communities at the rate of approxi- 
mately twenty-five a month. These organizations arrange farewell meetings to their men on the eve of 
their departure for camp, and each month the National Office receives reports from about fifty com- 
munities on the successful send-off gatherings which bid their sons God-speed. These farewell meet- 
ings are attended by hundreds of people and addressed by men prominent in the civic, business, social, 
and religious life of the community. 

. - , 

ith the Red Cross in personal service work, rendering legal aid wher- 

. uches have ^.„„...<._^ canteen umu <tuu 

cooperate with the Red Cross Canteen Service. 

In order to furnish the men with advice and information, many branches established bureaus of 
information in prominent centers in the community. The enlisted men find these bureaus helpful to 
them, and they avail themselves of the opportunity which is offered to secure advice as to rooming 
accommodations, personal matters, military regulations and all subjects relating to their welfare and 
that of their families. 

An important activity of the Jewish Welfare Board branches is the collection of statistics re- 
garding the Jewish men in the service. Each month the Central Office receives the names of men who 
have enrolled under the colors. These names are referred to the Bureau of Statistics of the American 
Jewish Committee, which is compiling an historical record of the part the Jews in this country are 
taking in the present crisis. The Publicity Committees of the branches are also active, and over fifty 
newspaper accounts of various functions and accomplishments undertaken by the branches are for- 
warded to the Central Office each month. 

In order to furnish the men with proper club facilities, the Jewish Welfare Board branches have 
established community centers which are open to all men in uniform. Reading rooms, gymnasiums, 



— 8— 



and swimming pools are among the facilities of these centers, which are popular among the men. 
There are at the present time 50 community centers conducted under the auspices of the Jewish Wel- 
fare Board. During the month of July, 11 new soldiers' club rooms were opened in as many centers. 
The average weekly attendance at each of these centers is estimated to be 500 men. 

The Jewish Welfare Board allots monthly subventions to the local branches to enable them to 
conduct their welfare work. At the present time sixty-one communities receive monthly subventions. 

Communities are being constantly organized to carry out further the welfare program of the 
National Board. If these branches are to do work as effectively and as thoroughly as is desirable, ade- 
quate financial assistance must be available to them. The existing branches are continually enlarging 
the sphere of their work by embarking upon new activities which tend to promote the further happiness 
and comfort of the men, and are seeking to reach an increasingly larger number of soldiers. Addi- 
tional community centers must be established in towns as new camps are developed or old ones enlarged. 
This inevitable expansion of community work will make heavy drafts upon the funds of the Board, 
and as the worthiness of this phase of its activities is so manifest, retrenchment or parsimony in 
financial policy will not be tolerated by those who have charged this Board with the task of serving 
the men and serving them well. It is estimated that for next year subventions for community activi- 
ties will aggregate $750,000. 

OVERSEAS WORK. 

ission oi lour rep md an executive secretary, has been in France 

to organize and develop a program of Jewish welfare work for the men fighting abroad. This Com- 
mission has made definite arrangements with the military authorities and the other welfare agencies 
for the organization of a comprehensive scheme of welfare activities which, similarly to those in the 
United States, will be generally in behalf of all the men with particular regard to the needs of the Jew- 
ish soldiers. 

Supplies of Prayer Books, Bibles and copies of the book "Jewish Thoughts," by Chief Rabbi Hertz 
of England have been distributed by this Hoard among the soldiers overseas. 

In connection with the work among the American Expeditionary Forces eight Jewish chaplains 
now with the army were recommended to the War Department by this Board. 

In addition the Board has recently recommended 22 additional chaplains to the War Department, 
in accordance with the authorization and recommendation of General Pershing. 

If the Board is to execute faithfully the program of welfare work which has been outlined by 
the Commission, there will be needed immediately many workers and a substantial and elastic fund 
for overseas activities. The Board is now conducting a campaign for 100 workers for immediate 
service abroad, and this number will have to be augmented at the rate of about 25 men per month until 
there is an overseas force of 300, the minimum necessary to meet adequately the expansion of the Amer- 
ican Army in France. 



UNO 



9 _ 



CONCLUSION. 

Although the Jewish Welfare Board began its work in the summer of 1917, it was unable to 
render appreciable service until January, 1918, when a fund of a million dollars was made available 
for its work. 

At that time there was a field force of 43 and a central office staff of 10 workers. At the 
present time there are 213 field representatives, 50 visiting rabbis, 5 field supervisors, a central office 
organization of 75 workers assigned to the following divisions, which have been created to develop 
expertness in the planning and management of our work: Camp Service, Community Service, Over- 
seas Service, Information Service, Personal Welfare Service, Training School, Personnel Publicity, 
Revenue, Auditing and Accounting, Material and Construction. 

But withal the Jewish Welfare Board has built only a framework, which, however, will lend itself 
to the obvious expansion necessary to meet the needs of the increasing army of men that are joining 
the fighting forces of America. With the extension of the draft ages, bringing into the Army and Navy 
added millions of men, the resources and material forces of the Board will be taxed to the maximum. 
The home field force must be increased from 213 to between 500 and 600; there must be at least 300 
overseas wort-prs ■ inst-porl of 4 ? buildings there will >~' p required nf , "- ,cf ir ^- there must be a propor- 
late increase in the central office organization, in the field supervising force, in the qua ntity <•<: ' 



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